Violent protests, legally questionable immigration raids and the deployment of National Guard troops without the governor’s approval will be at the forefront of state lawmakers’ minds when they return to Springfield on Tuesday.

Chicago-area public transit agencies are facing a fiscal cliff. The budget gap for CTA, Metra and Pace is at $200 million, according to the Regional Transportation Authority.

The funding freeze, which came despite a full funding agreement executed earlier this year, comes amid a broader anti-DEI push from the administration. In announcing the pause, federal officials said they’d be examining whether the Red Line Extension involves “race-based contracting” that Trump officials claim are discriminatory.

Local organizers who have been working on the project for more than 30 years said the Red Line extension is essential for those who live in “transportation deserts” on the Far South Side of the city.

The pause affects a long-awaited plan to extend the city’s Red Line train. The money was “put on hold to ensure funding is not flowing via race-based contracting,” budget director Russ Vought wrote on social media.

The announcement comes just a week and a half before lawmakers are set to return to Springfield for the fall veto session, during which numerous legislators say transit will be a main priority.

The 4000-series rail cars that commuters and train enthusiasts rode through the Loop on Wednesday were built in 1923 by the Cincinnati Car Company. As part of the special occasion, some CTA employees and retirees were seen sporting Chicago Rapid Transit Company uniforms, a nod to CTA’s predecessor.

The vending machines will be located at the 47th Street Red Line station, Wilson Red and Purple Line station, Jefferson Park Blue Line station, Harlem/Lake Green Line station and the Central Park Pink Line station.

Johnson on Tuesday signed an executive order calling for a “full-force of government approach” to tackling the pervasive smoking problem on city trains and buses.

The reconstruction of the four Red Line stations includes new track, support structures, bridges and viaducts built along the section between the Lawrence and Bryn Mawr stations, which were more than a century old.

The events are designed for CTA leaders and staff to have open, informal conversations with riders about service, safety, improvements and rider priorities, according to the transit agency.

The stations, located at Lawrence, Argyle, Berwyn and Bryn Mawr, will open to the public beginning July 20. City officials said this will mark the largest simultaneous opening of stations since the Orange Line opened in 1993.

“Even if the federal government doesn’t know or care about the Constitution, Chicagoans deserve to know their constitutional rights,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said.

Chicago Transit Authority Acting President Nora Leerhsen said the agency has entered a “new phase” after the Illinois General Assembly failed last month to pass a measure tackling a $770 million budget gap for Chicago-area transit.

This year marks the eighth year the Pride train is running on the Red Line.

A version of the bill passed in the Senate, sponsored by Sen. Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago. But the House adjourned early Sunday morning without concurring as some of its tax hikes became too controversial. Now, the future of Chicagoland transit is in limbo as the bill awaits further action.